System for creating artificial gravity conditions in micro and hypogravity environments

ABSTRACT

A innovative resistance exercise system that helps preserve an astronaut&#39;s bone density, checks muscle atrophy and helps retain postural and gait stability during space missions while increasing neuromuscular activation and enhancing sensorimotor integration is presented. This innovative system comprises of a tight suit that covers the upper torso of the astronaut—from the top of the head to a little below the waist with magnets or electromagnets placed towards the lower end of the suit. When worn by astronauts on a magnetic or electromagnetic flooring (such as a treadmill&#39;s floorboard), a force of attraction is exerted on the magnetic end of the suit to create a downward pull that would be spread by the suit onto the muscular and skeletal systems of the astronaut right from the top of the head down to their feet (thereby also loading the vertebrae which extends into the neck region), as the astronaut seeks to keep his/her upright position. The suit may be used in combination with an internally ridged sole directed towards the plantar surface of the feet to stimulate the somatosensory receptors in this plantar surface of the feet. Prior methods of using chords to keep the astronaut in place on a treadmill restrict ease of movement, take a lot of time and do not load the head-neck region. The invention preserves the astronauts&#39; good health longer and helps them function safely and efficiently in space or in the hypogravity of the Moon or Mars.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit of priority of U.S. ProvisionalPatent Application Ser. No. 60/607,845 filed Sep. 8, 2004 and entitled“SYSTEM FOR CREATING ARTIFICIAL GRAVITY IN ZERO GRAVITY CONDITIONS”, thesubject matter of which is hereby incorporated by reference herein.

TECHNICAL FIELD

This invention relates generally to space travel and, more specifically,to a novel and improved method for creating an artificial gravityenvironment in zero-gravity conditions to counterbalance the detrimentaleffects of micro/hypo gravity on human physiology.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Mankind has created and maintained a presence in space for a few decadesnow. Voyages into space have become relatively common today and thereare space stations that are inhabited by humans, for over a year at atime. Such voyages and continued living in zero or microgravityconditions subjects the human body to physiological stresses notexperienced while on earth, where the human body is habituated to andinfluenced by the presence of gravity. Studies and prior experience hasindicated that such long-term exposure to microgravity alters biologicalprocesses and detrimentally affects physiological responses in the humanbody.

Loss of bone density and muscle atrophy are two major problems. Thisoccurs as the physical stress on the bones decreases and as the musclesare subjected to disuse. They weaken to such an extent that it takestime for astronauts to recover even after coming back to earth and someastronauts' condition, reportedly, deteriorated to such an extent thatthey had to be carried on a stretcher upon return to earth.

Countermeasures

Several different methods of alleviating the detrimental effects ofweightlessness exist today.

Space Fitness Equipment: Treadmills and other fitness equipment such asrowing and bicycle ergometers have been modified for use in space.Astronauts are strapped and bound onto the treadmill or other fitnessequipment with elastic chords that generate resistance and therebysimulate the force of gravity. One variation to this basic design of atreadmill with an astronaut strapped by elastic chords is the use of apressurized treadmill. In this design, the lower body is completelyenclosed in an airtight chamber and when air is pumped into the chamber,astronauts feel lighter. When air is sucked out the astronauts feelheavier. By “making astronauts feel heavier in the weightlessness ofspace the chamber could prevent deconditioning, or loss of strength”.The negative pressure in the chamber makes the astronauts “feel heavierand increases their endurance as they workout.” (Julianne Remington,www.healthsurfing.com). While the simplest method happens to be regularand rigorous exercise, this takes up a lot of time.

Electrical Stimulation: There has been research into electricallystimulating the muscles, and hence exercising them. This is apossibility for space travel: “Previous studies have proven the efficacyof Neuromuscular Electrical Stimulation (NMES) protocols that stimulatemuscle through skin surface electrodes in order to cause musclecontraction. Although NMES protocols have proven useful in minimizingmuscle atrophy, they cause discomfort to those undergoing treatment andare impractical for spaceflight. CSA's Operational Space Medicine (OSM)group conducted a study to investigate a new type of electrical musclestimulation called Therapeutic Electrical Stimulation (TES).”(http://www.space.gc.ca/asc/eng/astronauts/osm_ems.asp)

Although it is apparently ‘impractical for spaceflight’, it is still alarge part of microgravity remedies—the “Manned Spaceflight andMicrogravity” site seems to deem it worthy:http://www.spaceflight.esa.int/file.cfm?filename=utildestpems

Space Boots: Space boots have been designed such that the feet feel asif a reaction force is being applied to them, hence activating all thebalancing muscles in the feet and lower body: “Chuck Layne, an associateprofessor at the Univerisy of Houston, designed special boots that usepneumatic pressure to the feet to simulate the feeling of standing on afloor. The pressure applied to the feet stimulates muscles in the legs,the idea being that this stimulation is akin to a muscle contraction andwould thus slow the rate of muscle atrophy. The invention has beentested by cosmonauts on Mir and the results look promising, although thetechnology is still under development.”(http://www.ibiblio.org/astrobiology/index.php?page=adapt04)

Pharmaceuticals: Certain drugs are used by astronautical teams tocounter the effect of muscle atrophy and bone demineralization. Inparticular, amino acids are said to be a useful supplement forpreventing muscle loss: “Scientists at the National Space BiomedicalResearch Institute have used enforced bed rest as a model for both spacetravel and medically-caused immobility. They find that if subjects whorest in bed for 28 days are given supplements of amino acids, the ratesof muscle loss are much reduced. The amino acids are the building blocksof protein and blood tests show how they are taken up by the body tobuild new muscle.” (http://www.healthandage.com)

However, there are important considerations to be taken into accountwhen dealing with pharmaceuticals. It is wrong to assume that the drugwill have the same affect on the human body in space as it does on Earthas major physiological changes occur in zero-gravity conditions inspace. If research conducted on people who fly airplanes at highaltitudes is any indication, drugs can produce drastically differenteffects when administered in different environments.”(http://www.ibiblio.org/astrobiology/index.php?page=adapt04)

Gene Therapy: There is also an interesting process labeled ‘genetherapy’, that introduces a certain protein, named “IGF-1”, into amuscle to stimulate muscle growth and maintenance, thereby minimizingatrophy:http://spaceresearch.nasa.gov/research_projects/spacebiology_(—)12-2001_lite.html

Nutritional Diet: “While nutrition alone does not cure the conditionsthat develop as a result of zero-gravity, it certainly helps alleviatethe severity of those conditions. It is essential that astronautsmaintain a healthy diet despite their decreased appetites (which arecharacteristic of people living in microgravity—NASA has found thatastronauts eat and drink as much as 70 percent less in space). The bodyneeds all the assistance it can get when fighting infections with adepressed immune system. Good nutrition provides that assistance.”(http://www.ibiblio.org/astrobiology/index.php?page=adapt04)

Pre-Flight Training: “astronauts undergo extensive preflight physicaltraining, building endurance and strength to minimize the effects ofmuscle atrophy.”(http://paperairplane.mit.edu/16.423J/Space/SBE/muscle/muscle_bckgrnd_ug.html)

Despite all such available countermeasures, a recent NASA study showedthat astronauts living aboard the International Space Station lost anaverage of 2.5 percent of bone mass in their hipbone, loss in outer boneat a rate of 1.6 to 1.7 percent per month and vertebrae bone mass lossat a rate of 0.8 to 0.9 percent a month. The NASA study also said thatover the period of four to six month stays in space, the astronautscould lose 8.8 to 16.2 percent of their bone mass.

This presents a serious health risk to astronauts—even more so to thosesent on voyages farther into the solar system such as to Mars, where thevoyage might take two to three years. Moreover, upon reaching suchdistant destinations, the astronauts would have to be fit and healthyenough to meet the challenges of living and doing productive work there.It is therefore a necessity to counterbalance the negative physiologicalaffects on astronauts' muscular and skeletal systems due to zero ormicrogravity conditions.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide asystem and apparatus that acts as an effective countermeasure againstthe loss of bone density and muscle atrophy of astronauts in zerogravity conditions.

It is another object of the present invention to reduce the time spentby astronauts on counterbalance measures, while producing similar ofbetter results.

It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a systemand apparatus that may be used by astronauts during their regularroutine.

It is still yet another object of the present invention to provide asystem and apparatus that may be used during the astronaut's sleeping orresting period to counterbalance the loss of bone density and muscleatrophy of astronauts in zero gravity conditions.

It is still yet another object of the present invention to provide asystem and apparatus that may be used to simulate later stages of longdistance running and improve endurance and performance.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWING

FIG. 1 is a diagram of an embodiment illustrating a system forcounterbalancing the loss of bone density and muscle atrophy ofastronauts in zero gravity conditions in accordance with the presentinvention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

FIG. 1 is a sketch of the illustrative embodiment of the presentinvention. The embodiment consists of a space suit 100 that covers theupper torso of the astronaut—from the top of his head to a little belowthe waist. It is a skintight suit made up of elastic, polymeric materialand consists of elastic straps 110 around the waist and the wrists;buckles 120 that go on these elastic straps and magnets 130 that gothrough and are held in place by these buckles. The space suit may alsoconsist of a Velcro like internal strap 140 that mates with anotherstrap worn on an inner layer or on the body of the astronaut.

The space suit 100 would be by worn by an astronaut while walking orexercising in an upright position on a treadmill with magneticfloorboards or in an enclosed magnetic chamber. The magnetic chamberwould have magnetic flooring that would attract the magnets 130 on theelastic straps 110. The space suit 100 would thus experience a netdownward force because of the magnetic attraction between the magnets130 and the flooring of the magnetic chamber. The space suit 100, by itsunique design and structure, spreads the force onto the muscular andskeletal system of the astronaut by applying a load on the median planeof the human body. As the astronaut tries to retain his upright positionby resisting the forces of attraction between the magnets 130 and themagnetic flooring of the chamber, the force would also work on the lowertorso of the astronaut and this process would simulate the force felt bythe skeletal and muscular systems of an astronaut while on Earth.

As mentioned above, the space suit 100 may be used when the astronautworks out on a treadmill. The treadmill in this case would have amagnetic board as its base, similar to the flooring of the magneticchamber described above. In the prior art, astronauts have been usingelastic chords to hold them down on the treadmill and offer resistance.However, these elastic chords in the prior art do nothing to offer anyresistance on the neck and head of the astronaut as these chords prettymuch begin from the shoulder on downwards, which leads to negligible orinsufficient loading/resistance on the vertebrae of the astronaut—as thevertebrae extends up into the neck and the bottom of the skull.

The space suit 100 may be used in conjunction with an additionalcomponent, a magnetic sole insert that may be placed in the shoe of theastronaut (or alternatively, the sole of the shoe itself may be made ofmagnetic material). This magnetic sole would also be subjected to theforce of attraction due to the magnetic flooring and would help theastronaut stand upright. In addition, the magnetic sole would also applya tensile force on the calf and lower leg muscles when the astronauttries to walk or run on a treadmill i.e. in the process of removing orlifting the feet off the ground the astronaut would have to expendenergy to overcome the forces of attraction between the magnetic soleand the flooring. This tensile force offers an additional component ofresistance on the lower torso of the astronaut.

By choosing appropriate magnets 130 and appropriate magnetic flooringmaterial, the strength of the magnetic force acting between themagnets/magnetic sole and the magnetic flooring may be adjusted to suitthe desired load/resistance on the muscular and skeletal systems of theastronaut. The force may be increased to subject the astronaut to higherstresses than normal to help build up the muscular and skeletal strengthand bone density in a shorter duration of time, thereby freeing up theastronaut's time for other critical activities.

In another embodiment of the present invention, the system would haveapplications on Earth for long distance/endurance training andperformance measurement purposes. For instance, consider a marathonrunner. Typically, when the runner starts off, the amount of time thatthe feet of the runner touch the ground (time of contact) would beminimal. However, as the race progresses and the runner gets tired, thetime of contact between the runner's feet and the ground increasesprogressively. By using the current system without the space suit i.e.only with magnetic flooring on a treadmill or a running track and withmagnetic sole inserts or magnetic shoe soles, the runner's feet would besubject to the force of attraction between the sole and thetrack/treadmill thereby increasing the time of contact between therunner's feet and the ground (treadmill/track). This would help therunner in simulating the behavior of the feet during the later stages ofa marathon without actually running the entire preceding stages.Moreover, the tensile force that acts on the runner's calf and otherlower leg muscles also help build up additional strength in the same—ina high-fidelity (real life/actual usage) setting.

Changes and modifications may be made to the above scenarios withoutdeparting from the scope of the invention. For instance, a magneticmaterial like iron, which is attracted by a magnet, may replace themagnetic flooring in the magnetic chamber. In addition, anelectromagnetic field may be used to produce the force of attraction onthe magnets, magnetic sole etc. instead of the static magnetic fieldproduced by the use of a magnetic flooring and magnets. Straps withmagnets tied to the ankles may be used instead of magnetic soles insertsor magnetic soles. Further, the ceiling of the magnetic chamber may alsobe magnetically charged such that it repels a magnet placed on the headof the astronaut, thereby adding to the downward force that theastronaut feels. In a further deviation, the entry to the magneticchamber may be controlled so that the astronaut feels a gradual increasein the magnetic force as he walks into the chamber instead of an abruptchange (and a sudden weight on his muscular and skeletal systems). Themagnetic chamber may be designed to so that the effects of the magneticforces are felt internally only and not affect other systems outside thechamber.

In the foregoing specification, the invention has been described withreference to an illustrative embodiment thereof. However, it will beevident that various modifications and changes may be made theretowithout departing from the broader spirit and scope of the invention.The specification and drawings are, accordingly, to be regarded in anillustrative rather than a restrictive sense. Therefore, it is theobject of the appended claims to cover all such modifications andchanges as come within the true spirit and scope of the invention.

1. A system that uses a magnetic or electromagnetic field to apply aload on the muscular and skeletal system of the human body, the saidsystem comprising of at least one magnetic or electromagnetic surface onwhich the human subject may stand on and a suit for the human subjectconsisting of at least one magnetic substance that would be subjected tothe magnetic or electromagnetic field.
 2. A system of claim 1, where themagnetic or electromagnetic surface on which the human subject may standon is the floorboard of a treadmill.
 3. A system of claim 1, where themagnetic or electromagnetic surface on which the human subject may standon is placed below the floorboard of a treadmill.
 4. A system of claim1, where the magnetic or electromagnetic components are placed below anon-magnetic or non-electromagnetic floor on which the human subject maystand on.
 5. A system of claim 1, where the suit worn by the humansubject consists or one or more magnets or magnetic elements orelectromagnetic elements at the lower extremity of the suit.
 6. A systemof claim 1, where the suit worn by the human subject consists or one ormore magnets or magnetic elements or electromagnetic elements atdifferent horizontal planes of the suit.
 7. A system of claim 1, wherethe sole of the footwear worn by the human subject consists of magneticor electromagnetic components that would be influenced by the saidmagnetic or electromagnetic field.
 8. A system of claim 1, where thesole of the footwear worn by the human subject has an internalridge-like structure towards the plantar surface of the feet.
 9. Asystem of claim 1, where a sole-insert is placed in the footwear of thehuman subject, the sole-insert consisting of magnetic or electromagneticcomponents that would be influenced by the said magnetic orelectromagnetic field.
 10. A system of claim 1, where a sole-insert isplaced in the footwear of the human subject, the sole-insert consistingof a ridge like structure towards the plantar surface of the feet.
 11. Asystem of claim 1, where bands of magnetic or electromagnetic materialare worn by the human subject on the calf-ankle region.
 12. A system ofclaim 1, where the socks of the human subject are made of magnetic orelectromagnetic material.
 13. A system of claim 1, where bands ofmagnetic or electromagnetic material are worn by the human subject onthe wrist region.
 14. A system of claim 1, where the gloves of the humansubject are made of magnetic or electromagnetic material.
 15. A systemof claim 1, where the electromagnetic force fields are generated fromthe floorboard or the region below the surface that the human subjectstands on.
 16. A system of claim 1, where the strength of the magneticor electromagnetic fields may be dynamically changed.
 17. A system ofclaim 1, where a magnetic and electromagnetic field exists on the pathleading to the actual system.
 18. A system of claim 17 where themagnetic or electromagnetic field on the pathway increases from theouter extreme to the entry point of the system described in claim
 1. 19.A system of claim 1, such that the entire system is enclosed in achamber that may insulate or reduce the magnetic or electromagneticfields from having an effect outside the chamber.
 20. A system of claim1, where a magnetic or electromagnetic force may also be applied fromthe ceiling or the region above the head of the human subject.